Chicano/a Lifestyles: History, Power, Culture (CCS 320)
Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies
Fall 2014
Course Section #: 20558
All art from CEMA Collection at U.C. Santa Barbara (Artists: Patssi Valdez, Louie
González, and Salvador Torres).
Professor María Ibarra
Course Time: 12:30-1:45 PM
Course Location: AL 102
Course Days: T-Th
Contact Information:
Office Hours: T-Th, 11-12:00 PM
Office Location: AL 396
e-mail: m1ibarra@mail.sdsu
Course Description:
This course is designed to introduce students to some of the lived experiences—or
“lifestyles”-- of Chicana/os and Mexican immigrants in the United States from 1848 to
the present, with particular emphasis on the contemporary era. It frames these lifestyles
within national and transnational forces that brought specific communities into being and
then uses “power” and “culture” as analytical lenses to better understand the development
of (1) ethnic identity formation; (2) work, family and gender relations; and (3) popular
cultural expressions, practices and beliefs. The course considers various forms of
resistance, affirmation, and accommodation, as well as the relevance of cultural
continuity and change in local and transnational contexts.
Learning Goals:
By the end of the semester, students should be able to:
*Identify key national and transnational forces that helped shape Chicano/Mexicano
communities in the United States.
*Discuss ethnic identity formation in historical and comparative context, including
contemporary forms of Chicano/a collective and individual identity.
*Define “power” and identify sources of oppression and agency in the lives of Chicano/as
and Mexican immigrants in historical and transnational context, including work relations
and immigration policy.
*Define gender and then discuss gender relations in historical and contemporary Chicano
communities, and in comparative context.
*Define culture and discuss the significance of continuity and change, especially in
relation to specific religious and secular practices amongst Chicano/as in both the U.S.
and in Mexico.
*Discuss cultural variation in contemporary Chicano/a communities.
*Identify the significance of the nuclear family in relation to other family forms in
contemporary Chicano/a communities and in a transnational context.
The instructor will draw from a range of multi-disciplinary readings and her own
ethnographic research in Southern California, as well as use film, musical recordings, and
guest lectures to help illustrate course themes.
General Education Goals:
This course fulfills G.E. Requirements (Explorations of Human Experience) in the Social
and Behavioral Sciences. Upon completing this area of foundations, you will be able to:
1) Explore and recognize basic terms, concepts, and domains of the social and
behavioral sciences;
2) Comprehend diverse theories and methods of the social and behavioral sciences;
3) Identify human behavioral patterns across space and time and discuss their
interrelatedness and distinctiveness;
4) Enhance your understanding of the social world through the application of
conceptual frameworks from the social and behavioral sciences to first-hand
engagement with contemporary issues.
Required Texts:
You will need to purchase the following two books:
1. Castañeda, Antonia (ed) 2007. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. Special Issue,
Gender on the Borderlands. University of Nebraska Press.
2. Sanchez, George. 1993. Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and
Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945. New York and Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
I will also place required readings for the course on Blackboard (BB). These readings
include:
Brandes, Stanley. 2003. Is There a Mexican View of Death? Ethos 31 (1):127-144.
Farmer, Paul. 2005. Lessons from Chiapas. In Pathologies of Power: Health, Human
Rights, and the New War on the Poor. Pgs. 91-111.
García y Griego, Manuel. 1998. The Importation of Mexican Farmworkers to the
United States 1942-1964. In Between Two Worlds, David Gutiérrez (ed). Pgs.
45-85.
Le Texier, Emmanuelle. 2007. The Struggle Against Gentrification in Barrio Logan. In
Chicano San Diego, Richard Griswold Del Castillo, ed. Pgs. 202-221.
León, Luís. 2008. Born Again in East LA: The Congregation as Border
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Space. In Gatherings in Diaspora: Religious Communities and the New
Immigration. Witner, Judith and Stephen Warners, eds. Pp. 163-196.
Mariscal, Jorge. 2012. Left Turns in the Chicano Movement. Monthly Review,
July-August. Pgs. 59-68.
Matthiessen, Peter. 1969. Selections from Sal Si Puedes (Escape If you Can):
Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution. Berkeley: U.C. Press.
Pérez, Gail. 2012. “Women Muralists Return to Chicano Park”,
http://newamericamedia.org/2012/07/women-muralists-return-to-chicano-park.php,
accessed August 15, 2012.
Pérez, Laura. 2007. Fashioning Exploitation and the Garment Industry. In Chicana Art,
The Politics of Spiritual and Aesthetic Altarities. Pgs. 98-109.
Pérez-Torres, Rafael. 2012. Mestizaje in the Mix: Chicano Identity, Cultural Politics,
and Postmodern Music. In Music and the Racial Imagination. Radano, Ronald
and Philip V. Bohlman, eds. Pp. 206-230.
Previne, Doris Marie and Gabriela Sanchez. 2011. Suspecting Immigrants: Exploring
Links Between Racialized Anxieties and Expanded Police Powers. Policing and
Society (1): 468-479.
A note on Blackboard: This course uses Blackboard, a web-based course aid. To access
Blackboard go to: https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/. Blackboard contains an announcement
page that I will use to post information and last-second changes. For example, if class
were to be canceled, students would likely be able to find out about it first through
Blackboard. Any technical questions regarding Blackboard should be directed to SDSU’s
Instructional Technology Services department. Their e-mail is scc@rohan.sdsu.edu and
their website is: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/its
Course Requirements and Assignments:
In order to receive a passing grade for this course, you must successfully complete the
following assignments:
Two Midterm Examinations
Midterm #1, September 30; Midterm #2, November 18.
Each of the two exams will address the preceding 5 or 6 weeks of lectures, films, and
readings and may consist of both multiple-choice and short essay questions as well as a
take-home essay question. Midterm #1 will take place on Tuesday, September 30th;
Midterm #2 will take place on Tuesday, November 18.
You are required to bring a RED PARSCORE form to each of the exams. For the first
exam the Parscore sheet should be a “Student Enrollment Sheet,” which is the LARGE
form. For the second exam, you may bring the smaller, half sheet.
You have one hour to complete each of the exams.
Please note: The exams will be handed out promptly at the beginning of the exam hour.
If you walk in late, and someone in class has already finished and walked out of the
classroom, you will not be given an exam. You will receive an “F” on the exam.
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Chicano Park Visit/Description
Due October 10
Visit Chicano Park in San Diego’s Barrio Logan and walk around, looking at the different
murals. How do murals serve to “reclaim space” literally and symbolically? Write a
short essay (2-3 pages) answering this question and focusing—in particular-- on one of
your favorite murals. Make reference to an article (from class) or a web resource in your
essay.
Web resources: http://chicano-park.org/
http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/98winter/chicano.htm
Food Photo Description
Due October 23
Bring a picture of your favorite food from childhood, one that reminds you of your
family, and in a two-page essay describe why it reminds you of your family. Please
include the following: (1) When is the food eaten--on a regular basis or special event? (2)
Who is in charge of getting the ingredients and then preparing the special dish? (3) Who
shares the food and in what setting? Alternately, in lieu of a picture, you may wish to
bring a small sample of your favorite dish. While the discussion (on the day that your
assignment is due) will be about Chicano/a food, you do not need to bring an example of
such if you did not grow up in a Mexican or Chicana/o family.
Family Genealogy/Group Presentation
Due December 2 and 4
Your task is to first draw-up a genealogy (following anthropological convention as will
be described in class) focusing on two generations of kin in your family (your parents’
generation and your generation).
Thereafter you will
(1) color code on the chart those individuals who are closest to you (those people that you
see on a regular basis, share love, meals, holidays with);
(2) write-up a description of those people you are closest to and why. What are the
things you do together on a regular basis and on an occasional or special basis? What do
you share in common? What makes them family other than biological relatedness? Are
there people who are not on this diagram who you consider to be family?
(3) Finally, based on class enrollment, you will form a group of 5-8 people and make a
group presentation about the commonalities and differences within the families in the
group. (For example do you find that many of your group members have divorced
parents? Have transnational families? Have equal numbers of siblings? Live in a three
generational household?). Each group will have approximately fifteen minutes to make
their presentation and creativity, enthusiasm, and visual aids are highly favored. You
must both do the written portion of the assignment AND present in class in order to
receive full credit. More information will be provided in class and you will know what
group (and date of presentation) you belong to by the 5th week of the course.
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Grade Calculations
Exam #1
Exam #2
Family Genealogy Paper/Presentation
Food Photo/Description
Chicano Park Description
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
40.0
40.0
15.0
2.5
2.5
points
points
points
points
points
Percent range
92.6%-100%
90%-92.5%
87.5%-89.9%
82.6%-87.4%
80%-82.5%
77.5%-79.9%
72.6%-77.4%
70%-72.5%
67.5%-69.9%
62.6%-67.4%
60%-62.5%
0-59.9%
Essential Policy:
Policy for assignments: All assignments must be submitted in-class to the instructor and
NEVER by e-mail on the day they are due. I do not open or accept e-mail papers.
Policy for late work: All course assignments are due on the dates specified, at the
beginning of class. No late assignments/papers will be accepted.
Policy for late attendance: Walking in late to class is disruptive, and I ask that you do
not do it. If you are late to class, you must see me at the end of the lecture.
Extra Credit Policy: No extra credit is assigned for this course.
Policy for Off-Campus Events: All students must sign a “Warning, Waiver, and
Release of Liability Form” prior to participating in a required off-campus event.
SDSU Honor Policy:
Institutions of higher education are founded to impart knowledge, seek truth, and
encourage one’s development for the good of society. University students shall thus be
intellectually and morally obliged to pursue their course of studies with honesty and
integrity. Penalties for offenses are part of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations,
sec 41301(a) see http://www.rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/senate/policy/pfacademics.html.
Americans with Disabilities Act Policy:
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If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services (SDS) at (619) 5946473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations you should contact SDS
as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that
accommodation based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your
instructor with an accommodation letter from SDS.
Syllabus Change Policy:
Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the grading statement, this
syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.
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Course Program: Lectures and Readings
Part I: History
Week #1. August 26-28
8/26: Welcome to CCS 320! Introduction to course and each other
8/28: War, Conquest and Their Legacies: Race and Class Differentiation and Inequality
(1848-1880)
Readings:
George Sanchez, Becoming Mexican American (Chaps 1-3—See Reading Guide #1 at
the end of the syllabus)
Week #2. September 2-4
The Great Mexican Migration, Gendered Activism, and the Development of Working
Class Communities in the U.S. (1880-1929)
Readings:
George Sanchez (Chaps. 4-5, 9); Cohen, Katherine (optional--in Frontiers, pgs. 30-50).
Week #3. September 9-11
9/9: The Great Depression: Get Rid of the Mexicans! (1929-1939)
9/11: World War II and Braceros: Bring the Mexicans Back! (1942-1964)
Readings:
González, Gabriela (“Politics of Benevolence and Radical Reform,” in Frontiers, pgs.
200-229); Sanchez, George (Chap. 10); Garcia y Griego (BB)
Week #4. September 16-18
9/16: The Mexican American Generation and Revolutionary Chicanos. Film excerpts:
Quest for a Homeland
9/18: The Chicano Movement and the United Farm Workers (1964-1970)
Film: The Fight in the Fields
Reading:
Sanchez (Chap. 12); Mariscal, Jorge (BB); Selections from P. Matthiesson (BB); Falcon,
Priscilla (“National Floral Strike,” in Frontiers, pgs. 140-154).
Week #5. September 23-25
9/23 Lecture and discussion, Becoming Mexican American: theoretical paradigms on
ethnic identity formation; how does individual experience shape scholarship? Why does
Sanchez title the book Becoming Mexican American? Bring book to class.
9/25 Catch-up day
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Readings: Please make sure to finish Becoming Mexican American by this week.
Week #6. September 30-October 2
9/30: Midterm #1
10/2: Approaches and meanings of power
Urban Redevelopment and The Struggle for Physical Space. Case Study: Chavez Ravine
(Los Angeles)
Reading:
TBA
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Part II: Power
Week #7. October 7-9
10/7: The Struggle for Physical and Symbolic Space. Case Study: Chicano Park (San
Diego), Film excerpts: Chicano Park (part 1)
10/9: Mural Art in Chicano Park. Film excerpts: Chicano Park (part 2)
Chicano Park reflection paper due today.
Reading:
Le Texier, E (BB)
Perez, Gail http://newamericamedia.org/2012/07/women-muralists-return-to-chicanopark.php, accessed August 12, 2014.
Week #8. October 14-16
10/14: Globalization and The Global Assembly Line. Case Study: U.S. Sweatshops and
the “Forever 21 Campaign”. (excerpts from Made in L.A.)
10/16: Globalization, Immigration, the Informal Economy, and the Criminalization of
Workers: Mexican Maids, Janitors, Gardeners, Day Laborers.
Readings:
Hu-Dehart, Evelyn (in Frontiers, pgs. 244-260)
Ibarra, Maria (in Frontiers, pgs. 124-140).
Previne, Doris (BB)
Week 9: October 21-23
10/21: Food, Mestisaje, and Power in Historical and Contemporary Contexts
10/23: Bring a picture of your favorite food from childhood and be prepared to discuss in
class (see instructions)
Readings:
Farmer, Paul (BB)
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Part III: Culture
Week #10. October 28-30
10/28: What is culture? Chicano/as and Religion in Historical and Contemporary
Context. *Tutorial: Making Genealogies.
10/30: Contemporary “Day of Dead” Observances in Mexico and the United States.
Film: La Ofrenda (part 1)
Readings:
Brandes, Stanley (BB); León, Luís (BB)
Week #11. November 4-6
11/4: Day of the Dead Observances in Mexico and the United States. Film clips: La
Ofrenda (part 2). Is there A Mexican View of Death?
(Bring Stanley Brandes article with you);
11/6: Mestisaje in the Mix: Chicano/a Music
Readings:
Pérez-Torres, Rafael (BB); Sanchez, George (chap 8).
Week #12. November 11-13
11/11: Visual and Performing Arts
11/13: Catch-up Day
Reading:
Broyles-Gonzalez, Yolanda (in Frontiers, pgs. 87-103); Huacuja, Judith (in Frontiers,
pgs. 104-121). Perez, Laura (BB).
Week #13. November 18-20
11/18: Midterm Examination #2
11/20: Lecture and discussion: “The Family” in Historical/Global Context: Changing
and Varied Forms
Readings:
TBA
Week #14. November 25-27
11/25: Genealogy Group Discussions
11/27: No Class, Thanksgiving break.
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Week #15. December 2-4
Family Assignments and Presentations due, Groups: 1-4
Family Assignments and Presentations due, Groups: 5-8
Week #16. December 9
12/9: Conclusions and Overview: Take-home exam question due today.
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